A First for Everything
by superwholockianwriter
Summary: When eleven-year-old Jimmy Moriarty moves to a new school, he is wary that he will make any friends, but he is soon proved wrong. All is going well until he is bullied by Carl Powers, the best swimmer in his school. Finally, Jimmy can take it no longer and is forced to do something he has never done before.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – New School, New People

"C'mon, Jimmy. You'll be late for school!" my Mum yelled.

"I'm not going!" I yelled back.

Mum entered my room where I was still dressed in my pajamas.

"Jimmy Moriarty, you will not be late for your first day at your new school. Now get dressed or you'll be in serious trouble."

I sighed and did as Mum said. But I was tired of moving around and always being the new kid at school. I never stayed in one place long enough to make any friends before I was uprooted and sent to another school. And any friends that I did have forgot me eventually. I guess they weren't my true friends to begin with. I always told myself that this would be the school where I would finally belong. The school where I stayed at more than a few months. The school where I would find my best friend. But deep down I knew that would never happen. No one would ever want to be friends with me and the sooner I accepted that, the sooner I could get on with my life. And stop being hurt by people.

Finally after a lot of useless pleading and begging, Mum got me into the car although I didn't talk to her the whole ride over.

"You're eleven years old now, Jimmy. It's time you learned how to make friends. You have to stop having this victim mentality and put yourself out there."

I refused to say anything. Mum gave me this speech every time I went to a new school and it never worked. If she really wanted me to make friends, she would stay in one place for more than a few months. But her drug addiction caused her to move on before the police caught her. I didn't see why I had to pay for her actions too: it wasn't my fault she couldn't keep an actual job. Why did I have to move around with her? It would much better if I could separate myself from her and live my own life. As soon as was able, I would leave her for good and never look back. I would make my own life and I would be happy.

All too soon, we arrived at my new school and I was forced to get out of the car.

"Have a good day," Mum said. "And remember what I said."

I halfheartedly nodded and stepped into the school. From the outside, it looked imposing and scary. And the inside was no better. The hallways were bare, colorless, and full of pushy people. _Great,_ I thought, _This will be another crappy school where I'll spend the next crappy few months. But I'll leave here and maybe the next school will be better._

I melted into the crowd of people and headed to my first class of the day. After getting lost a few times, I finally found the right room and walked in. Instantly, I felt every eye on me, judging me, figuring out what kind of person I was, if they wanted to be my friend or not.

"Ah, Jimmy," the teacher said. "I'm glad you're here. Class, this is our new student, Jimmy Moriarty. I want you to make him feel welcome."

But as I looked out into that sea of staring eyes, none of them were welcoming. I would never belong here. I would never belong anywhere. Although it was my heart's desire to fit in, to have friends, and to have a normal life, I knew that I never would and I was kidding myself if I thought I could.

I took a seat in the back of the class and barely listened as the teacher droned on about things that I didn't care about. It didn't matter if I listened to what she said because I would be moving on soon and none of this would matter.

To keep my mind occupied, I surveyed each of my classmates, trying to see what kind of people they were. I was still developing my observing skills, but I discovered that most of these kids came from rich families and never known a day of heartache in their life. Did they know how lucky they were to be so privileged? Did they know that there were kids out there like me who would give anything to have their life? Thankfully, class was over before I could think any more bad thoughts about them.

I struggled throughout the day until it was lunchtime. I quickly filled my tray with gross looking food and took a seat in the corner of the cafeteria. I was about half way through my meal when I heard footsteps approaching. I looked up and saw a kid around my age coming over. A quick read said that he was different from most of the kids here. His clothes were slightly rumpled and dirty, his hair looked like it hadn't been washed in days, and he didn't get much food outside what he got here.

"H-Hi," he said when he arrived at my table. "Can I sit with you?"

I don't know why I did this, but I said yes. There was something about him that made me trust him, made me want to know more about him.

"I'm Richey Brooke, by the way."

"Jimmy Moriarty."

"I know. We have first period togehter."

"It's nice to meet you," I said. "How long have you gone to this school?"

"Just a couple months," he answered. "My dad and I moved here from the north."

"I take it you haven't made many friends if you're sitting with me."

"Not really. No one likes the new kid and I'm not very good at making friends."

"I understand. I move around a lot and never stay anywhere long enough to make any friends."  
"Hey, maybe we can be friends," Richey suggested. "We're a lot alike, you and me. I think we could be great friends."

"Me too," I said. I couldn't believe it, but I had just made a friend and I hadn't even tried. Maybe this school wouldn't be as bad as I thought. But as happy as I was, it was dangerous for me to grow too close to anyone. I knew I wouldn't stay here very long and I didn't want Richey or me to get hurt.

"I don't know if this is a good idea," I said. I told him that I would probably be moving on soon and that it wasn't good for me to become too close friends with anybody.

"Maybe it will be different this time. There's always a first for everything. And even if you do move away, we can still keep in touch. I just found my first friend and I'm not going to lose you that quickly," Richey said.

Could Richey and I truly be friends? I was excited about having a friend, but I also didn't want to hurt him. Or me. I had never put myself out there like this before and I didn't want to get hurt. It was just easier to isolate myself and pretend like no one else in the world was there. That way I didn't hurt myself or others around me. But I had read Richey enough to know that he needed me as much as I needed him. Maybe it was finally time to open myself up to having a friend. I might get hurt but I might not. There was no way of knowing unless I tried.

"Okay," I said. "I'll be your friend."

"That's great!" he said. "I think we're going to be the best friends there ever was."

"I hope so," I said. "I sure hope so."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Life at Home

The bell rang soon and Richey and I headed to our separate classes. As I headed out of the cafeteria, I couldn't believe that I had just made a friend. After eleven years of having no one, I finally had someone I could call a friend.

But what did I know about being a friend? What if I blew it and Richey didn't want to be my friend anymore? What if I moved away and he was left here by himself with no one to hang out with? I pushed those thoughts away before they could take over. It made no sense to psych myself out over something that might not even happen. I just needed to focus on being a good friend to Richey now and worry about the future later.

I went through the rest of my classes, thinking of things I could do with Richey. We could pretend we were knights or play games or something like that. I had never done any of those things with anyone before, but it was what I had always imagined doing with a friend if I ever had one. Now that I did, I wasn't sure what friends were supposed to do together. Maybe he would have some ideas too. I would have to ask him tomorrow.

"How was school today?" Mum asked as she picked me up at the end of the day.

"It was good," I said. "I made a friend."

"That's wonderful!" she said. "What's his name?"

"Richey. He lives here with his dad."

"See, I told you that this school wouldn't be bad. You just had to open yourself up to making a friend."

"Mum, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, honey. What is it?"

"How long are we going to stay here?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"Now that I've met Richey, I don't want to leave too soon."

"I can't make any promises, you know that," she said. I could tell that she wanted to say something that would please me and I appreciated that. "We'll stay as long as we can, but I have no idea how long that could be."

"I know," I said. "But I think I might like it here."

"I'm glad. It's time you finally found somewhere you liked."

I spent the rest of the day at home, Mum in her room, making the drugs she would eventually sell, and I kept myself busy with my puzzles. I always liked solving riddles and in my free time, I solved as many as I could. Maybe tomorrow I could hang out at Richey's house. I needed to get out of this place and I couldn't invite him over here. What if he found out what Mum was doing and told the police? Although we were starting to be friends, I still didn't know him that well and didn't want him to know that part about me. Not yet.

For dinner, Mum scooped some meat out of a can and plopped it onto the paper plates in front of us. It wasn't much, but it was all we could afford. The drug making business wasn't a very reliable income. But at least we got to use all the money Mum made on food and clothes. She never wasted money on rent and utilities and stuff like that. We would stay here as long as we could and if the cops didn't catch us first, we would head out of town before we were evicted. I had once offered to help Mum make more drugs so we could earn more money but she had vehemently refused. She said that she didn't want me to get mixed up in this life and go down the wrong path. I thought if she truly believed that she would find a real job, but who was I to judge? As soon as I was old enough, I would get a job and help Mum. Maybe that way we could afford to pay the rent and stay somewhere for a little while longer. But that was several years down the road and there was nothing I could do about it now. All I could hope was that somehow we could stay here for a long time. I was the first place I felt like I could make a home and I didn't want it to end sooner than it had to.

That night I fell asleep excited to go to school the next day. I finally had something to look forward to. I no longer dreaded going to school or feared what the kids might say to me. Sure, they still might say mean things, but somehow having Richey as a friend made it seem more bearable. Maybe what I couldn't face alone we could face together. But I knew this happiness couldn't last forever. One day Mum would tell me that it was time to move on and I would never see Richey again. I dreaded the time when that day would come, but I planned to enjoy this happiness as long as I could. It wasn't every day I got to feel this way. I knew I would be hurt again, but maybe if I didn't think about it, it wouldn't happen. At least that's what I told myself to make myself feel better.

The next morning, I bolted out of the car as it pulled up next to school.

"Bye!" I yelled and raced into the school. In my first class, I found where Richey was sitting and sat down next to him.

"It's good to see you again," he said.

"Yeah, you too. I told my mum that I made a friend and she was really happy."

"Yeah, my dad too. Hey, do you want to come over after school? I asked my dad and he said it was okay if you asked your mum."

"I'd like that," I said.

For the rest of the day, I couldn't stop thinking about going to Richey's house. I had never done that before and I didn't know what to expect. What would his house be like? What would we do? My whole life, I had never been able to hang out with anyone. I had always went back home. Mum was scared that if I socialized with anyone, I would accidentally tell them what she did for a living and she would be in trouble. Which was really ironic; she always wanted me to have a friend. And for so long I had accepted her conditions. But not today. Today I would be my own person and make my own decisions. She might be mad at me, but I could deal with her later.

At long last, the school day ended and I followed Richey to where his dad's car was waiting.

"Shouldn't you tell your mum where you're going?" he asked.

"No, she's fine with it," I said.

After a short ride, we arrived at Richey's flat. It didn't look much different from mine and I was glad. If he had lived in a grand house with lots of nice things, I wouldn't know how to act. I could handle the simple life.

Richey and I disappeared into his small room where he had a collection of action figures and cars. It wasn't much, but it looked perfect to me. Mum never wasted money on "silly" things such as toys. Sometimes, if I was lucky, she would buy me a new book of Sudoku problems but most of the times I just erased the numbers and started the puzzle again.

"Do you like it?" Richey asked.

"I love it! I've never seen so much stuff before."

"Well let's play with it. And if we're lucky, Dad will let you stay for dinner. He makes the best macaroni and cheese."

I smiled. No one had ever treated me this kindly before, not even Mum. Sure, she raised and fed me, but in her mind, I could fend for myself and didn't care about being treated nicely. But Richey treated me like I really mattered to him. Like I was special.

We played with his toys for a few hours then his dad called us to dinner. I was happy that I would be able to stay. I was starving and I knew there wouldn't be much food at my flat. We walked into the kitchen and when I saw the table, my jaw dropped. Compared to what I would've received at home, this was a feast. There was chicken, bread, green beans, and macaroni and cheese. I didn't think I had ever seen this much food before in my life.

Still in shock, I took a seat at the table and helped myself to a little bit of each item. I didn't want to appear too greedy after everything Mr. Brooke had done.

"Please, take as much as you like. There's plenty."

I thanked Mr. Brooke and added some more food to my plate. It was the best meal I had ever tasted. And there was so much of it! I could never imagine having this much food at home. Even when Mum was able to make more money from her drugs, she always saved it for later. She always told me that one day we might not be as fortunate as we were then and we would need the money. Although I tried to understand, my grumbling stomach never did.

Although I didn't think it was possible, I was full and refused any more food that Mr. Brooke offered.

"I hate to see you go so soon, but I should probably get you back to your mum before she starts worrying," Mr. Brooke said.

The three of us piled into Mr. Brooke's car and in between giving Mr. Brooke directions, I talked to Richey.

"Thank you for letting me come over today. I had a lot of fun."  
"Me too. Hopefully you can do it again sometime."  
"Yeah, I'd like that."

I had Mr. Brooke drop me off a few blocks from my flat. Although he seemed like a nice guy, I didn't want him to know exactly where I lived. Whether it was from shame or from fear of him telling the police, I kept my true residence a secret.

"See you tomorrow, Richey!" I shouted as the car turned around. As I walked back to my flat, I couldn't believe what an awesome day I had had. I had gotten to know Richey better and gotten away from the house. I knew I wouldn't be able to do that every day, but it would be nice every once in a while.

I stepped into the flat to find Mum sitting in the floor, her hands covering her face.

"Mum, are you okay?"

She turned and I could see she had been crying. She jumped up and ran to hug me. After a few moments she released me and her face grew stern.

"Where the bloody heck have you been?" she demanded.

"I was at a friend's house," I stammered.

"And you didn't think to tell me? I waited for you at school and when you didn't come out, I got worried. I came back here, hoping that you would be here but you weren't. Do you know how worried I was?"

"If you were so worried, then why didn't you call the police?"

"You know I can't do that!" Mum yelled. "I would be sent to jail and you put in some boy's home. How would you like that?"

"If you really cared about me, you wouldn't care about the consequences. You would only care about finding me."

"How dare you!" she said. "You have no right to say that. Go to your room for the rest of the night. And if I see your face, I swear, you wished I hadn't."

I stormed to my room, angry at how little Mum seemed to care about me. If that had happened to Richey, his dad would be looking for him, no matter the consequences. Did her drugs matter so much more than me? I'm sure that if I hadn't come back, she wouldn't have looked for me. And that was fine by me. If she didn't want to care about me, then I wasn't going to care about her. I would avoid her as much as I could. And I knew she wouldn't come looking for me if I was never around the flat. Tonight had proved that. I just needed to find something to occupy my new found free time. Maybe I would find something at school tomorrow. But for now I was going to work on my puzzles and try to forget the look on Mum's face when she threatened me. I didn't need that in my life. Not now, not ever.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – New Opportunities

The next morning, I didn't speak a word to Mum. Although she tried to make conversation with me, I ignored her. I was still mad at her and if she thought she could make up for what she had done this quickly, she was wrong. She had hurt me more than anyone ever had before and I wasn't ready to forgive her yet. Once she proved to me that she was truly sorry for what she had done and wouldn't do it again, I would think about forgiving her.

I jumped out of the car when we arrived at school, anxious to see Richey again. I knew he would never let me down and would always be there for me. I could always count on him. Unlike some people.

I met up with him in our first class and thanked him again for letting me come over yesterday.

"I had a lot of fun too," he said. "And I think I found a way we could hang out after school too."

"Really? What's that?"

"A swim team is starting up and they're looking for members. I've always wanted to be on a swim team."

Honestly, I didn't care about swimming, but if it let me spend time with Richey, I would do it. "Where do we sign up?"

"In the gym, after school. They said they would take us to a local pool and we can get started."

"That sounds awesome!"

Our conversation was cut short by the teacher beginning the lecture. Throughout the day, I couldn't keep my mind off what Richey had told me. This would give me a chance to be away from Mum most of the time and a chance to get to know Richey better. I didn't know much about swimming, but I could always learn. And I didn't have to be the best at it; I just needed to be in it.

After suffering through a long day of classes, Richey and I headed to the gym to see if we could join the swim team. I knew Mum was probably waiting outside, ready to pick me up. But I would never come out. She could come back every day and that wouldn't make any difference. That didn't show that she cared about me. She would have to do more than that to truly show me that she cared.

I followed Richey to the gym where several other people had gathered. In the center of the room stood a tall guy surrounded by several others. He had an imposing face that looked like he was looking for his next victim that he could beat up.

"Who is that?" I asked, nodding towards the guy.

"Oh, I've heard of him," Richey whispered. "His name is Carl Powers. He was a swimming champion at his other school before he moved here. And a bully. Steer clear of him."

"No doubt."

"Welcome, everybody," the coach said. The room became quiet and all eyes turned to him. "I'm glad to see we have this much interest in the swim team. It looks like we might have a good team this year."

"Yeah, because I'm on it," Carl Powers said.

"You're definitely an asset. I've heard a lot about you," the coach said. "Anyway, we'll be heading to the pool now so follow me."  
The swim coach led us outside to one of the busses and we piled on. As soon as we started to pull away, Carl came over to where Richey and I were sitting, hovering over us.  
"I've never see you two before. What are your names?"

"Richey Brooke."

"Jimmy Moriarty."

"Word of advice. Stay away from my swim team. I'm definitely the best person ono this team and I'm the one who is going to take us to the championship. I just wanted to make sure neither of you were going to get in my way."

"Of course not," Richey said. "As long as you don't get in the way of us having fun on this team."

"Listen here, you little wimp," Carl said and grabbed the front of Richey's shirt. "I'm the boss around here and you'll do whatever I say. And if you don't, then I'll make you pay. Do you understand?"  
Richey nodded and was dropped back into his seat. Carl headed back to his seat, laughing as he did.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Y-yes," Richey replied.

"What is that guy's problem?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said. "Let's just make sure we stay away from him."

"No doubt."

We soon arrived at the local swimming pool and piled out of the bus. When we entered the building and I stared, mouth agape, at the pool. It wasn't big but it was better than any I had ever seen before. I was excited about swimming in this awesome pool, even if it meant I had to see Carl. But maybe if we left him alone, he would do the same.

After the coach gave us a safety briefing, we got in the water to show the coach what skills we already had. I could tell from looking around that I wasn't very good but I enjoyed being in the water. I saw Carl several times and I had to admit that he was an excellent swimmer. My resolve to steer clear of him was strengthened.

After a couple hours of swimming, the coach said that practice was over. After drying off we headed back to the bus and taken back to the school.

"Do you think I can come to your house?" I said. "My mum is still at work."

"Sure. My dad said he really liked it when you came over."

"Great!"

I rode with Richey back to his house and stayed with him until after dinner. I knew Mum would be mad that I stayed out late two nights in a row but I didn't care. She would just have to deal with all the time I was spending away. If she truly wanted to spend time with me, she would have to show it.

After a scrumptious dinner, Mr. Brooke drove me back home. I thanked him for dropping me off and after making the short walk, entered my flat. Of course, Mum was mad at me for not coming home right after school, but I ignored her and headed to my room. She kept trying to talk to me, asking me to come out, but I refused. All she was showing me was that she didn't like me locking myself away. That didn't show me that she truly cared about me. Until that point, I wasn't going to listen to her.

I spent the rest of the night working on my puzzles and riddles. Eventually her pleas stopped and I assumed she went back to making her drugs. But that was fine by me. I needed to be by myself for a while; I needed to distance myself from her. Maybe one day I would forgive her. But that wasn't now and it wouldn't be for a long time.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Life is Changing Again

For the next couple months, life continued as usual. I spent more time with Richey, participated in the swim team, and avoided Mum. Eventually, she got used to me not coming home until late at night and stopped coming to pick me up after school. That proved to me that she didn't care. If she really did care, she wouldn't stop waiting for me, showing me that I was important to her.

Life was going great and I was happier than I had ever been. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. In the back of my mind the thought persisted that at any point, I could leave town. Leave Richey. And I couldn't- I wouldn't- do that. If Mum decided to leave, I would refuse. Mr. Brook liked me and maybe he would take me in. I had finally found a home in this town and I wasn't about to give that up just because Mum was scared of the police discovering her dirty little secret. I was tired of doing everything she said and uprooting my life whenever she felt like it. It was time I made my own decisions. And that started now.

I got to school that morning and when I saw Richey, he had a downcast face.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Dad told me yesterday that we have to move."

"What?" I asked. "But you can't."

"I have to. Dad got a different job in Cardiff and we're moving next week."

"I-I won't let you!" I shouted. "You can't leave me like this!"

"I'm sorry," Richey said. "I tried to convince him that we have to stay, but he said that it's not possible. I really have to leave."

No. Why was this happening? For the first time in my life I finally felt like I belonged somewhere and now that was being taken away. Surely there was something I could do about it.

"What if you lived with me?" I asked Richey.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, it'll be perfect. That way we'll never be separated." Although I wasn't keen on Richey seeing my real life, if this was the only way that I could make him stay, then I would have to.

"I can't just leave my dad," he said. "I need him."

"I've lived without my dad my whole life and it hasn't affected me. Don't you want to stay with me?"  
"I certainly don't want to leave, but I have to go with my dad. I don't have any other choice."

I couldn't believe this. If it was me, I would have begged Richey to let me stay with him. But he was acting like our friendship meant nothing. After all the time we had spent together, would he just leave me like this? I guess you never really knew who your true friends really were.

But the worst part about it was that I had finally opened myself up to being friends with someone, knowing that I would eventually have to move away. I had pushed that thought to the back of my mind and refused to think about it. And now Richey was the one leaving and I would be stuck here with no friends. Why did life always have to be so cruel?

I spent the rest of the day in a daze, still trying to process why this was happening to me. What had I done to deserve this? I had always tried to be nice to others and never did anything to warrant all this bad luck. For once in my life, I would like things to go my way. One day, when I was old enough I would make sure I was never hurt again. No matter what it took.

I didn't talk to Richey much at swim practice and went home right afterwards. Mum was surprised that I was home so early but, as usual, I ignored her and headed to my room to work on my puzzles. I didn't want to deal with people right now; all I wanted to do was get lost in my puzzles and forget all of the troubling thoughts trying to occupy my mind. Eventually I would come out of this reverie, but for now I didn't care.

I went through the next couple days mad at the world. I barely talked to Richey and I didn't talk to Mum at all. Deep down, I was hoping that if I could forget about my problem, it would go away and I wouldn't have to deal with it. But I knew that wouldn't work and all too soon, the day came when Richey had to leave. That morning at school, he approached me with a sympathetic look on his face.

"I know this is hard for you," he said. "But this is the last time I'm going to see you for a long time, and I want to leave knowing that we're still friends."

"We are friends," I said. "I just don't want you to move away."

"I know. But I have to and there's no point in denying it."

"Will we ever see each other again?" I asked.

"I hope so," he replied. "You're the best friend I've ever had."

"Me too."

That evening I went to Richey's flat for the last time and had dinner with him one last time. It was amazing to think that just a couple of months ago I had been the new kid here with no friends. Then I had met Richey and all of that had changed. I had actually been happy for once in my life. And now that was all about to change again. I would go back to being the lonely kid who didn't have any friends and stayed to himself. But I knew this dream couldn't last forever. As much as I hated it, I had to get back to reality.

All too soon the night was over and I had to say my last goodbye to Richey. Maybe if I just avoided it, he wouldn't have to move away and things could go back to the way they were supposed to. But if this was the last time I was going to see Richey, then I needed to make the most of it.

"Thanks for being my friend," I said. "I never really had one before this."

"Me either. And we'll just be a couple hours away so we can visit."

"I'd like that."

Unfortunately, the time came and I was dropped off at my flat. I said one last goodbye to Richey then entered my flat and locked myself in my room. I grabbed my puzzle and angrily started working on it. Why did nothing good ever happen to me? All I wanted was for something good to happen to me every once in a while. I was tired of always receiving the bad fortune in life. Why couldn't I be happy for once in my life? Was that too much to ask?

I fell asleep that night angry that Richey was moving away, angry that I would be left here alone, and angry at my lot in life. Maybe if I stayed angry at everything, I wouldn't be able to feel the pain I was going through. I was willing to try that. I was tired of being hurt and I would do anything to make sure that never happen again.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Planning

The next morning I woke up and realized that Richey wouldn't be at school today. But I would get through it. I had to. I was Jimmy Moriarty and I was a survivor. I could get through this just like I had gotten through the other crap I had been through.

Mum dropped me off at school and I went through the day trying not to imagine Richey being there. I could see him sitting next to me in class, talking to me at lunch time, laughing with me on the bus on the way to swim practice. Now I sat in my seat alone, trying to remain unseen. I didn't know why I was still on the swim team. Richey had enjoyed the team more than I had and without him here, there was really no point in continuing. I guess I did it to remind me of all the fun times we had together. And I could always quit the team if I really wanted to; there was nothing keeping me here anymore.

I filed into the gym with the other boys and mechanically went through practice. I didn't care about doing well in practice. I wasn't the best swimmer on the team and I didn't want to be the best. I would leave that title to bullies like Carl Powers.

As if I had summoned him with my mind, Carl came over to me after practice.

"I see your little friend isn't here today. Where is he?"

"He moved away."

"Aww, that's too bad," he teased. "I guess that means that you have no friends here now."

"It doesn't matter," I said. "I'm used to it."

"I can see that. I don't know why Richey even befriended you. But I guess you two were very similar. You are both puny little outcasts who will never amount to anything," he said, laughing.

Before I could stop myself, I lunged at Carl, knocking him to the ground. Although he was a lot bigger than me, I pinned him to the ground and began to punch him. It felt good to finally show Carl that he couldn't boss us around anymore. For too long he had ruled this swim team like it was his and I was proud that I could be the person who put him in his place.

Eventually, Coach pulled me off Carl and took me aside to one of the locker rooms.

"What was that all about?" he asked. "I've never seen you lash out like that. Is there something wrong?"

"I'm fine," I muttered.

"Is there anything wrong?"

"I said I'm fine," I repeated. "I just need to be alone for a minute."

"Okay. I'll come back when we're ready to leave."

I sat in the locker room, my hands shaking. It felt good to beat up Carl; he had laughed at me and Richey and that was unacceptable. But what if Carl got mad at me again and lashed out? I didn't want to be at his mercy again. I could see what he could do and I didn't want to be at the receiving end of his anger. I would just have to steer clear of him.

A few minutes I climbed back on the bus and returned home. Mum tried to make conversation but I just ignored her. I wasn't in the mood to talk to her. I had had a difficult day and I just wanted to be alone. I had spent one day without Richey and I had beat up Carl. One day alone and I had gotten in a fight. I hadn't realized until now how much I needed Richey to keep me in line. I hadn't gotten into a single fight while he had been here. Now he was gone and I was getting into fights. I had gotten in a lot of fights before I came here and I thought I had finally got past that.

Maybe I just needed to quit the swim team and distance myself from Carl. I didn't want to get into fights, really. I was tired of living like that; I had found a better lifestyle and I wanted to stick to it. But the fact still remained that Carl had made fun of me and Richey and I couldn't let that slide. He would have to pay for what he did, no matter how much my conscious told me he didn't.

I spent the rest of the night devising plans of how I could make Carl pay. I would probably only have one shot at getting him really good so I needed to make it count. Several scenarios ran through my head, but I couldn't come up with the perfect one. Maybe tomorrow I could devise the perfect plan. The only thing I knew was that I wouldn't rest until I made Carl feel as bad as he had made me feel.

The next morning at school, I didn't pay much attention to my classes: my mind was too busy planning my epic comeback. By the time swim practice came around that afternoon, I still couldn't think of anything good enough for Carl. Maybe something would happen in practice that would help me decide his punishment.

As usual, Carl dominated swim practice with his superiority and made fun of all the new swimmers who he deemed were beneath him. It sickened me to watch this but what could I do? It wasn't like I could fight Carl and make him back off. I needed to be subtle and discreet if I wanted to best Carl.

Swim practice ended without a confrontation with Carl and although I was glad about that, I was mad that I still couldn't think of a way to bring him down. How did he humiliate people so easily? Maybe it was just my personality, but I needed to make Carl pay. And soon. I would probably be moving on soon and I needed to enact my revenge before I left.

"Hey, squirt," Carl said as he came over to my seat on the bus. "Still mourning over your little friend being gone?"

"Go away, Carl," I muttered. "I don't have time to deal with you."

"You better make time!" he said and grabbed my shirt.

"Hey, let me go!" I yelled.

"Who's going to make me? Huh? No one cares about you. Not even little Richey. He told me once that he was tired of you always coming over to his house. Said you were a little leech."

"That's not true!"

"Deny it all you want but Richey wasn't really your friend. I bet he was glad when he had to move. It was a way to get away from you."

"You're lying!"

"Tell yourself that all you want but the truth remains. He's better off without you." Carl dropped me back in my seat and returned to his, laughing his head off.

What he said couldn't be true. Richey was my friend and he would never say things like that. Especially to someone like Carl. Carl would pay for what he said. My anger against him was refueled and I would do anything to make sure he paid for all the hurtful things he said.

I arrived home that afternoon to find the house empty. Mum must be making a delivery. That would give me time to see if there was anything in this flat that would help me get my revenge. I searched through Mum's journal where she kept a list of all her drugs and what they did. Surely there had to be something in here that would help me. After searching for a few minutes, I found a listing called _botulinum_ that looked like it might work. Mum's entry said that it would relax the user's muscles for several hours. But what triggered my interest most was her warning at the bottom:

 _THIS SUBSTANCE IS POISONOUS IF TAKEN IN EXCESS._

This was exactly what I was looking for. I found Mum's stash of the drug and took a little. I was sure that with all the other ones she had, she wouldn't miss one little bag. Now that I had the means of exacting my revenge, I just needed to find the right time to execute my plan.

I went to sleep that night feeling better than I had in a long time. I would finally be able to make Carl pay for what he had said about Richey and me. My plan might be a little extreme, but I didn't care. He deserved what was coming for him: he couldn't insult people without expecting to pay for it later. All I had to do was figure out how I would poison Carl and then my revenge would be complete.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Revenge

I went to school the next morning with a spring in my step and the botulinum in my pocket. I might not be able to poison Carl today but I would be prepared when the opportunity presented itself. I went throughout the day without seeing Carl until I arrived at swim practice. Maybe I could slip him the poison here! But I needed to ensure that no one expected me to be the murderer. My goal was to hurt Carl, not myself.

When we arrived at the pool, Coach told us that we had the opportunity next week to participate in a competition in London.

"We'll practice extra hard this week to prepare for this. I expect everyone to do their best. We want to show the other schools just how good our swim team actually is."

This couldn't be better! Not only was I getting a free trip to London, it was the perfect place to carry out my plan. There would be extra people there which would make it harder for the police to find the true killer. All I had to do was wait another week and Carl would get what was coming for him. I could be patient: I had to do this right and if that meant waiting another week, I would do that. I was looking forward to this trip and in more ways than one.

The next week passed quickly as I prepared to go to London and get my revenge on Carl. Mum never said anything about the missing bag of botulinum. I needed this plan to work and I certainly didn't need my prying mum to probe in my stuff. I would get my revenge if it was the last thing I did.

Finally, the day of our trip came and I couldn't stop smiling. I packed my bag, making sure the botulinum couldn't be seen. I climbed onto the bus that day and listened to Carl's cut-ups about how he was the best swimmer this school had ever seen and how he would lead us to victory. _Enjoy it now,_ I thought, _Because you won't be on the bus ride back._ I wish Richey could see me now. I wish he could see how strong I had become. I wish he could see that I was going to make sure Carl couldn't hurt anyone else. He might not approve of the way I was going about it, but I was sure he would be proud of the end result. I knew I would.

After the short bus trip, we finally arrived in London and went to the pool where the competition would be held. It was the most amazing pool I had ever seen. It stretched from one wall to the other with lockers on one side and bleachers on the other with a changing room in the back. This would be an excellent place to kill Carl. There would be no way the police could track it to me. I would be very careful to hide my tracks; there would be no evidence and I would get off scotch-free. I would never have to deal with Carl again and I could finally live my life here in peace.

I headed to the locker room, knowing that if I wanted the botulinum to work, I needed to start now. I found where Carl's locker was and peered inside. Besides his gym bag and a couple magazines, there was only his trainers. Not much to work with, but I would figure something out. I rummaged through his bag and found his eczema medicine. Everyone knew that Carl struggled with the condition, but no one dared make fun of him for it. Now I was going to make his weakness the cause of his death. I infiltrated the botulinum into his medicine and headed out of the locker room before anyone saw me. Now the next time Carl went to take his medicine, he would unknowingly be poisoning himself. All I could hope was that he took it in enough time to kill him before we left London.

The competition went on throughout the day and near the end of the day, it was time for my team to suit up. Carl was scheduled to swim first and I was hoping he had taken his medicine and the botulinum had taken affect. While Carl prepared to start his race, I headed back to the dressing room and stuffed his trainers in my bag. He loved those shoes and I figured I would take them when he was dead. That way, even when he was gone, I could hurt him even more. And I never knew when I might need them again. I hurried out to where the swimmers had just jumped into the water, not wanting to miss any of the action. I had waited for this day to come and now that it was here, I didn't want to miss any of it.

I kept my eye on Carl the whole race, trying to see if the poison had taken place. For most of the race, Carl continued as normal and I began to think that it wouldn't work. Of course, I knew that he would have to take his medicine eventually and that he would definitely die, but it would be so much better if he died in the pool. But on the very last lap, I noticed that Carl was slowing down and it didn't look like fatigue.

"C'mon," I whispered. "It'll work."

Sure enough, Carl went underwater and didn't come back. Some of the swimmers in the water noticed this and called out. A flurry of activity commenced as the adults tried to determine what was going on. I stepped back, trying to conceal the big smile on my face. My genius plan had worked. Carl was gone. He wouldn't be bullying any more people and I would finally be able to have some peace.

The next few minutes passed by in a hurry as Carl was brought from the bottom of the pool and laid out on the ground. Even from my distance, I could tell he was dead. The paramedics arrived shortly and carted Carl's body away. As he was loaded into the ambulance, I relised that I would never have to see him again. I was finally free of him and so was everyone he had ever bullied. Although I had murdered him, surely I had done a good thing. I had rid the world of someone who only caused pain. Those kinds of people didn't deserve to live. The competition was cancelled and my team headed back on the bus. Everyone's face was either a mix of sadness that Carl was gone or disappointment that the competition had been cancelled. But no one, not even those Carl had bullied looked happy. Weren't they glad that Carl wouldn't be bothering them anymore? People might be sad that he was dead now, but sooner or later they would realise that I had done them a favor by ridding the world of Carl Powers.

Coach thought it necessary that he give us a talk on how great a swimmer Carl was and how much he meant to us and how much we would miss him, but I wasn't listening. I was happier than I had been in a long time and I was going to enjoy this. No one could convince me that what I had done was wrong. I would go to my grave glad that I had killed Carl Powers. And if any others like him ever crossed my path, I wouldn't hesitate to kill them too.

The next month passed quickly and I was glad I was free from Carl. For the week after he died, everyone at school made a big deal about it. They were saddened by the "tragic accident" and put up posters celebrating his life. It was sickening but I knew that all this hype would fade eventually. And I was right. By now Carl's name was no longer whispered in the hallways and of the posters that remained, they were old and torn.

I was still lonely without Richey but I certainly had a better time at school. I was able to keep to myself without bullies picking on me constantly. My life could have certainly been better, but I was actually enjoying my time here.

But I knew that nothing good could last and one day when I arrived home from swim practice, Mum told me to pack my things because we were leaving. I was sad that we were leaving this place but I had learned a lot while I was here. I had learned what it was like to have a friend and what it felt like to be loved. I had also learned to take charge and do something about the people who bullied me. Of course, that had led to murder, but I had to do something. If I didn't, bullies would rule the world someday. Maybe my actions wouldn't make much of a difference but they had to me. Carl laughed at me so I stopped him laughing. And I was proud of it. Others might look on and condemn me for what I had done but I had put Carl in his place and shown him what it felt like to be bullied. And besides, no one would ever figure out what I had done. There had been that little kid who tried to convince the police that Carl's death was suspicious, but no one would listen to him. I would be safe.

I quickly packed my things and loaded them into Mum's car. I had made sure to pack Carl's trainers carefully where no one would be able to see them. I didn't need people poking around and asking questions. As Mum drove off to our next home, I stared out the window, watching the town grow smaller and smaller. I would miss this town and everything it had done for me. Maybe one day I would come back, maybe one day I would see Richey again, but for now I would store all those memories in my mind and think on them when life got rough again. Mum was right about one thing: there was always a first for everything and this town had given me that opportunity.

I turned away from the window and looked forward, ready for the new adventures that were awaiting me. All I had to do was find them.


End file.
